~~~The OFFICIAL 2009 INTERNATIONAL RUGBY THREAD ~~~

[Goliath101]

They dont they come to Australia instead. Hehe anyway i was impressed by the wallabies and especially O'connor. I used to be mates with him at school and seeing him play qaulity rugby in international level is great. Im hoping they put him on the field many times throughout this years campaign.

Cant wait for the french tests im hoping we really demolish them and get our form in peak condition for the 3N and hoping we take it out.

well if he keeps playing the way he is, im sure he will get plenty of game time. seems to handle pressure quite well!!

[beertank23]

Yeah young O Connor looks a great centre prospect.

[Kiwi_Fella]

Heres the NZ team for tomorrow:

NEW ZEALAND: 15 Mils Muliaina (c), 14 Cory Jane, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan; 8 Liam Messam, 7 Adam Thomson, 6 Kieran Read, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock. Reserves: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 John Afoa, 18 Bryn Evans, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Lelia Masaga.

They've already been called one of the weakest All Black teams in years by some of the press over here, same olld **** from our press. Every year they write the All Blacks off and time and time again they prove them wrong.

We're missing key players but they'll be good enough. Our front row is solid, locks the same. Backrow is young and very mobile, missing a mongrel there though. Backline could be better but we've got McCalister and Masaga on the bench if **** goes cak.

[Dom_88]

Friend of mine told me McAlister had an ice pack on his thigh today's practice run.

[Goliath101]

Heres the NZ team for tomorrow:

NEW ZEALAND: 15 Mils Muliaina (c), 14 Cory Jane, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan; 8 Liam Messam, 7 Adam Thomson, 6 Kieran Read, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock. Reserves: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 John Afoa, 18 Bryn Evans, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Lelia Masaga.

They've already been called one of the weakest All Black teams in years by some of the press over here, same olld **** from our press. Every year they write the All Blacks off and time and time again they prove them wrong.

We're missing key players but they'll be good enough. Our front row is solid, locks the same. Backrow is young and very mobile, missing a mongrel there though. Backline could be better but we've got McCalister and Masaga on the bench if **** goes cak.

that still looks like a pretty darn solid team to me!!

[Kiwi_Fella]

Friend of mine told me McAlister had an ice pack on his thigh today's practice run.

I'd like to see Luke given a run at 12 in this game. Did you see in the news Carter might be looking at playing for Auckland in the NPC? That would mean maybe, Carter/McCalister at 10/12.

[Dom_88]

Oh dear...what a physical pummelling for the AB's. The French were defending and hitting the breakdowns like they were on crack.

Kiwi_Fella, i didn't actually see that. Would be a good combination, unfortunately for Nonu that'd be the end of him starting for the AB's.

[Goliath101]

All Blacks were extremely poor, just shows that having quality players doesnt mean much if they cant play together, or now how each other plays.

The french on the other hand looked great, and that defence was awesome. I think the all blacks were lucky to get within 10 points in the end.

[monatu]

France v Nz was awesome. Looks like the days are gone where the All Blacks could still dominate the Test arena when they were missing a few of there best players. There depth has definitely taken a hit. Medard was absolutely awesome - I hope France hangs on to him and doesn't do their usual thing of dropping players on a whim.

[Kiwi_Fella]

I think the game was won at the breakdown. The French loosies were great. Blew our boys off the ball and their tight 5 just out muscled us. I agree with Monatu, the days are gone where we can rely on our depth, we just dont have enough players in our talent pool at this moment in time to replace stalwarts like Carter, McCaw and co.

The good thing about All Black rugby is they take losing harder then any other nation, probably due to the fact they hardly ever lose, so i expect to see them win in Wellington. It wont be the end of the world if we lose, as long as i see improvement from the team and us going forward.

[pietpoes]

I think the game was won at the breakdown. The French loosies were great. Blew our boys off the ball and their tight 5 just out muscled us. I agree with Monatu, the days are gone where we can rely on our depth, we just dont have enough players in our talent pool at this moment in time to replace stalwarts like Carter, McCaw and co.

The good thing about All Black rugby is they take losing harder then any other nation, probably due to the fact they hardly ever lose, so i expect to see them win in Wellington. It wont be the end of the world if we lose, as long as i see improvement from the team and us going forward.

Well summed up. The ABs desperately need a fit Richie back. Looking forward to the backlash this weekend. Have the ABs ever lost two games in a row at home?

Here's the Bok team for the first Lions test. Looks like a good team but I would've liked to see Fourie start instead of Jacobs, but I suppose there's not that much between them. As much as I'd like to see Morne play for the Boks I'm in two minds over whether to start him at this level, Ruan is probably a safer choice, I just hope he has his kicking boots on. Good to see Brussouw get the call up for the injured Burger, he gave the Lions hell at the breakdown in the Cheetahs game.

I just hope the boks aren't too rusty for the first test. Some of our players haven't played in over a month. The Bok players should have played in the provincial games imo.

C'MON BOKKE!!!



15 Frans Steyn
14 JP Pietersen
13 Adi Jacobs
12 Jean de Villiers
11 Bryan Habana
10 Ruan Pienaar
9 Fourie du Preez

8 Pierre Spies
7 Juan Smith
6 Heinrich Brussow
5 Victor Matfield
4 Bakkies Botha
3 John Smit (c)
2 Bismarck du Plessis
1 Beast

16 Deon Carstens
17 Gurthro Steenkamp
18 Andries Bekker
19 Danie Rossouw
20 Ricky Januarie
21 Morne Steyn
22 Jaque Fourie

[pietpoes]

Well summed up. The ABs desperately need a fit Richie back. Looking forward to the backlash this weekend. Have the ABs ever lost two games in a row at home?

Just remembered they lost the Test series at home against France in '84 and were winless in the '98 Trinations.

Here's the B&I Lions team for the first test. Good first xv but the bench looks pretty weak imo.

15-Lee Byrne Frans Steyn
14-Tommy Bowe JP Pietersen
13-Brian O'Driscoll Adi Jacobs
12-Jamie Roberts Jean de Villiers
11-Ugo Monye Bryan Habana
10-Stephen Jones Ruan Pienaar
9-Mike Phillips Fourie du Preez
8-Jamie Heaslip Pierre Spies
7-David Wallace Heinrich Brussow
6-Tom Croft Juan Smith
5-Paul O'Connell (capt) Victor Matfield
4-Alun-Wyn Jones Bakkies Botha
3-Phil Vickery John Smit (capt)
2-Lee Mears Bismarck du Plessis
1-Gethin Jenkins Beast

16-Matthew Rees Deon Carstens
17-Adam Jones Gurthro Steenkamp
18-Donncha O'Callaghan Andries Bekker
19-Martyn Williams Danie Rossouw
20-Harry Ellis Ricky Januarie
21-Ronan O'Gara Morne Steyn
22-Rob Kearney Jaque Fourie

[MinuteMan.]

Can't wait for the tests tomorrow, espcially the Lions game. I wouldn't underestimate the Lions just quietly but I won't make any predictions

[pietpoes]

Can't wait for the tests tomorrow, espcially the Lions game. I wouldn't underestimate the Lions just quietly but I won't make any predictions

Not at all, they'll be extremely motivated for this. Their midfield gives me the shits, and our place kicking options in the starting xv don't fill me with confidence. Can't wait for this and the NZ/France game!

[Kiwi_Fella]

Just remembered they lost the Test series at home against France in '84 and were winless in the '98 Trinations.

Here's the B&I Lions team for the first test. Good first xv but the bench looks pretty weak imo.

15-Lee Byrne Frans Steyn
14-Tommy Bowe JP Pietersen
13-Brian O'Driscoll Adi Jacobs
12-Jamie Roberts Jean de Villiers
11-Ugo Monye Bryan Habana
10-Stephen Jones Ruan Pienaar
9-Mike Phillips Fourie du Preez
8-Jamie Heaslip Pierre Spies
7-David Wallace Heinrich Brussow
6-Tom Croft Juan Smith
5-Paul O'Connell (capt) Victor Matfield
4-Alun-Wyn Jones Bakkies Botha
3-Phil Vickery John Smit (capt)
2-Lee Mears Bismarck du Plessis
1-Gethin Jenkins Beast

16-Matthew Rees Deon Carstens
17-Adam Jones Gurthro Steenkamp
18-Donncha O'Callaghan Andries Bekker
19-Martyn Williams Danie Rossouw
20-Harry Ellis Ricky Januarie
21-Ronan O'Gara Morne Steyn
22-Rob Kearney Jaque Fourie

The Boks will do them in. The Lions have looked alright in the warm up games but that isnt doesnt really say much. Losing Schalk is a big loss or the Boks, he's just as important as McCaw is to the All Blacks.

Looking at the Lions team, i just see the same old faces, where is the new blood?

[monatu]

Andy Powell should have been at least on the bench for the Lions, hes been their best loose forward so far in the tour IMO (maybe hes injured?).

Im hoping the Boks will win but I think Pienaar at 10 and Steyn at 15 will be a little shaky, and the Lions might look to exploit that.

OP DIE BOKKE

[Dom_88]

Problem in this game is the Lions have been getting their asses kicked by fetchers, and Burger is everything a 6 should be BUT a fetcher. Brussouw seemed to step up for the Cheetahs.

Saw the Lions - Kings game, Mbiyozo played like his life was on the line. Another promising flanker.

[Goliath101]

one word, dissapointed.

the all blacks did no deserve that win. france deserves to take the cup having said that.

the all black backs need way better communication, they let the ball hit the ground to many times and gave up to much field from the kicks.

donald needs to be dropped, it seems he cant perform at this level, missing crucial, yet basic shots at goal and also making many kicking and handling errors.

weepu needs to start, henry seems to only want to put him on when we need to play catch up. both times weepu has come on he has made a huge difference the in the structure and all black play.

that french winger who pretended he was injured the in goals was a joke, and is a joke to the game. go get some soccer boots and change sports.

one another note it seems there is another contender for worst ref. marius yonker could take the title from stu dickenson after that woeful performance. how can he miss so many obvious mistakes and make what seem like a lot of incorrect calls (this happened for both teams but to the kiwis more)

[MinuteMan.]

Decent performance by the Wallabies, they turned up the heat in the last ten minutes when Italy were starting to threaten. The backs looked good, and so did Pocock and that new prop Cowan.

Fantastic test match with the Lions, they were very unlucky to lose at the end, but the lineout sucked and that's a problem with Matfield pouncing on everything. Roberts and BOD tore the South African midfield to shreds and to be honest the Springbok backs offered nothing but unless the Lions forwards can get them more ball they won't be in a position to win. Can't wait for next week..

[Goliath101]

Decent performance by the Wallabies, they turned up the heat in the last ten minutes when Italy were starting to threaten. The backs looked good, and so did Pocock and that new prop Cowan.

Fantastic test match with the Lions, they were very unlucky to lose at the end, but the lineout sucked and that's a problem with Matfield pouncing on everything. Roberts and BOD tore the South African midfield to shreds and to be honest the Springbok backs offered nothing but unless the Lions forwards can get them more ball they won't be in a position to win. Can't wait for next week..

i tell you what and i hate to say it, the wallabies a looking good, they got a great young looking team with great potential. deans seems to have programmed the essentials of team work in them.

[Kiwi_Fella]

one word, dissapointed.

the all blacks did no deserve that win. france deserves to take the cup having said that.

the all black backs need way better communication, they let the ball hit the ground to many times and gave up to much field from the kicks.

donald needs to be dropped, it seems he cant perform at this level, missing crucial, yet basic shots at goal and also making many kicking and handling errors.

weepu needs to start, henry seems to only want to put him on when we need to play catch up. both times weepu has come on he has made a huge difference the in the structure and all black play.

that french winger who pretended he was injured the in goals was a joke, and is a joke to the game. go get some soccer boots and change sports.

one another note it seems there is another contender for worst ref. marius yonker could take the title from stu dickenson after that woeful performance. how can he miss so many obvious mistakes and make what seem like a lot of incorrect calls (this happened for both teams but to the kiwis more)

Bro the All Blacks totally deserved to win that game! They dominated every facet of the game and were unlucky not to get the trophy in the end due to an unlucky bounce. The Frogs were second best, make no mistake. It was a good performance by the pack with Thorn and Mealamu really leading the way.

I also have to say, all these people knocking Stephen Donald, who would we put in there if he wasnt there? Weepu, McCalister? Anyone else? Does that really fill us with hope slotting these guys in the no.10? He's the best we've got behind Carter and we just gotta support the bloke.

I do agree with you about the ref, my god, the guy did his best for an All black loss, a horrible performance, truly pathetic. His interpretation at the breakdown and scrums was a joke. French front row kept popping up, so he penalises us? French keep slowing the ball downh all game and warnings after warnings but no bin? Its really frustrating watching that type of game.

A win is a win, and an improved performance, thats all we can ask for at this stage

[Kiwi_Fella]

Decent performance by the Wallabies, they turned up the heat in the last ten minutes when Italy were starting to threaten. The backs looked good, and so did Pocock and that new prop Cowan.

Fantastic test match with the Lions, they were very unlucky to lose at the end, but the lineout sucked and that's a problem with Matfield pouncing on everything. Roberts and BOD tore the South African midfield to shreds and to be honest the Springbok backs offered nothing but unless the Lions forwards can get them more ball they won't be in a position to win. Can't wait for next week..

I watched that game. The Wallabies have some good young players coming through, especially in the backline, but same old issues with the front row, granted they're young, still a weak area for them.

[MinuteMan.]

i tell you what and i hate to say it, the wallabies a looking good, they got a great young looking team with great potential. deans seems to have programmed the essentials of team work in them.

They are but its still early days, and like the Springboks they fell asleep in the 2nd half. IF they try this against this French team, they will be punished, but its definitely shaping up to be one of the most competitive tri nations series since 2004.

I watched that game. The Wallabies have some good young players coming through, especially in the backline, but same old issues with the front row, granted they're young, still a weak area for them.

Fair point about the front row kiwi, it was a bit up and down for sure, but I liked the aggression Cowan brought. That attitude makes him worth considering for the future and I'd rather have young guys making mistakes than Dunning and Baxter doing the same.

[Kiwi_Fella]

Fair point about the front row kiwi, it was a bit up and down for sure, but I liked the aggression Cowan brought. That attitude makes him worth considering for the future and I'd rather have young guys making mistakes than Dunning and Baxter doing the same.

Oh for sure mate. They only way to develop these young props is to throw them in there eh? Does Australia have a scrum coach? Mike Cron, our one, is the man. He's got a really good insight on the technical side of scrummaging and seems to be able to pick out good young props and bring them through.

[pietpoes]

Well a win is a win I guess. The Boks really could have buried the Lions if not for de Villiers' idiotic early substitutions. Bok defence a little worrying, Fourie will have to start at 13 next week.

So much for the Boks having a weak front row. Beast shoved Vickery's head up his arse in the scrums.

O' Connell, Mears, and Jones were dissapointing too, I think Mcgeechan made a mistake picking O' Connell for captain instead of O' Driscoll. He just just doesn't have the leadership abilities at this level.

[MinuteMan.]

Oh for sure mate. They only way to develop these young props is to throw them in there eh? Does Australia have a scrum coach? Mike Cron, our one, is the man. He's got a really good insight on the technical side of scrummaging and seems to be able to pick out good young props and bring them through.

Crohn is one of the best in the business, and you can see how respected he is on those all black scrum training videos on youtube. As far as Aus, I think Pat Noriega took over 2 weeks ago as the scrum coach. He was a good player so we'll see where it leads.

What did you think of Italy by the way?

[Kiwi_Fella]

Crohn is one of the best in the business, and you can see how respected he is on those all black scrum training videos on youtube. As far as Aus, I think Pat Noriega took over 2 weeks ago as the scrum coach. He was a good player so we'll see where it leads.

What did you think of Italy by the way?

I remember Noriega, good hard ass prop back in the day.

Italy are always committed, but lack world class players. Their forwards are the strength and always seem to hold their own against opposition teams. The backs on the other hand, less said the better. They played well enough in parts last night but were never going to win with their attack.

They'll cop a hiding next week against the All Blacks. Be interesting to see how the French go against Aussie.

[Goliath101]

Bro the All Blacks totally deserved to win that game! They dominated every facet of the game and were unlucky not to get the trophy in the end due to an unlucky bounce. The Frogs were second best, make no mistake. It was a good performance by the pack with Thorn and Mealamu really leading the way.

I also have to say, all these people knocking Stephen Donald, who would we put in there if he wasnt there? Weepu, McCalister? Anyone else? Does that really fill us with hope slotting these guys in the no.10? He's the best we've got behind Carter and we just gotta support the bloke.

I do agree with you about the ref, my god, the guy did his best for an All black loss, a horrible performance, truly pathetic. His interpretation at the breakdown and scrums was a joke. French front row kept popping up, so he penalises us? French keep slowing the ball downh all game and warnings after warnings but no bin? Its really frustrating watching that type of game.

A win is a win, and an improved performance, thats all we can ask for at this stage

I'd go with McCalister, i think Donald needs to start from the bench for a few more games, and wasnt McCalister Carters backup a few years back anyway?? Either way he has played at 5/8 for the blacks previously. But dont get me wrong, i dont have Donald, he just cant seem to transfer his dominance and skill from the super14 to playing with the All Blacks.

And im dissapointed due to the All Blacks decision making and how disjointed they seemed to have become on the field. In the pass the All blacks dominance didnt come from their individual players but how well they played as a team. If you watched Australia you can see how deans has etched the importance of team work. The Aussie players were looking for the off loads and passing and not trying to make the play/score themselves.

Well thats my take on it.

[Dom_88]

Well a win is a win I guess. The Boks really could have buried the Lions if not for de Villiers' idiotic early substitutions. Bok defence a little worrying, Fourie will have to start at 13 next week.

So much for the Boks having a weak front row. Beast shoved Vickery's head up his arse in the scrums.

O' Connell, Mears, and Jones were dissapointing too, I think Mcgeechan made a mistake picking O' Connell for captain instead of O' Driscoll. He just just doesn't have the leadership abilities at this level.

I'll take the win, especially in a stadium where the Boks never play amazingly well. Pietersen didn't look too good from what I saw, neither did Jacobs. Jean did very well to save that try. You're right, just add Fourie in at 15 and there's not much else to do. O'Driscoll is just a pain in the ass and it's all the better for us that he isn't captain!

Next is Loftus....a WHOLE new scenario for the Lions to face.

[monatu]

Wallabies looking very very good for the Tri Nations this year. Its probly too early to say (rather make predictions at the end of the Lions series) but I have a feeling we may see Boks/Aus duking it out for the title this year, while Nz wallows with only a win or two.